What's on TV tonight – highlights for Monday, December 22 include Amanda & Alan's Spanish Christmas
And Celebrity MasterChef is back with a festive 'Cook Off'Christmas TV ups its game as we inch towards the big day and highlights of what’s on tonight – Monday, December 22 – include Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas and the MasterChef Christmas Special.
Yes, fresh from his Celebrity Traitors triumph, Alan Carr is back for a festive episode of the renovation series with his pal Amanda Holden and a bunch of new celebs battle it out to make the best Christmas dinner in MasterChef.
Don’t forget we have guides to the best BBC Christmas TV shows and the best ITV Christmas shows where you can find everything on over the festive period.
Here’s the Monday December 22 TV highlights you can look forward to…
Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas (BBC One, 9pm)
Alan Carr has enjoyed quite the year. After stunning everyone in The Celebrity Traitors, he’s back with Amanda Holden for a festive edition of their show. The pair return to the townhouse they renovated in Moclin, Spain. They transformed it into a swish B&B and decide to throw a Christmas party to thank the locals who helped them.
But the dynamic duo have quite different ideas about Christmas decorations and this leads to some arguments! Amanda reckons Alan’s love of tinsel is a bit tacky. As part of the party, they decide to lay on a festive feast with an Anglo-Spanish theme.
Alan decides to whip up his mum’s prawn cocktail recipe and gets Marco the local mayor to help out. Although we’re not sure about Marco’s plan to add Tabasco into it! Meanwhile, Amanda sets about making a boozy Christmas trifle. They also get time to enjoy a spot of Cava tasting in Granada and have a lesson in making the perfect Christmas cocktail.
Monday December 22 TV highlights: Celebrity MasterChef – Christmas Cook Off (BBC One, 8pm)
MasterChef hasn’t had a great year for reasons we won’t go over again. But despite everything, MasterChef remains massively popular and we now have a festive celebrity special to tuck into.
Judges Grace Dent and John Torode front this one-off. The celebs taking part are reality star GK Barry, Ted Lasso’s Kola Bokinni, presenter Nikki Fox and Iain Stirling, who’s the voice of Love Island.
First up is the secret Santa mystery box challenge. They’re each given a gift and inside is a recipe with all the ingredients needed to cook a celebratory Christmas centrepiece. Celebrity MasterChef 2024 winner Vito Coppola joins the judges in tasting the creations by the celebs.
Next, the festive four must create the ultimate Christmas dinner. Who will be crowned Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Champion 2025?
Taskmaster: Champion of Champions 2025 (Channel 4, 9pm)
Host Greg Davies and his assistant Alex Horne return for this ‘best of the best’ special. The winners of the last five series – Maisie Adams, Andy Zaltzman, John Robbins, Sam Campbell and Mathew Baynton – return.
Maisie won the latest series in November after Taskmaster first saw three contestants tied for top place. She managed to give the best answer to the tie-breaker question and thus won the show. But can she win the Champion of Champions special?
Among the tasks is a poetry competition and a very short race.
Taskmaster fans should note there’s also a two-part New Year special coming up starting on January 2. Taking part in that are Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Sam Ryder, Susie Dent and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Hamleys – Top 100 Toys of All Time (Channel 4, 7.30 pm)
Jonathan Ross and his daughter Honey are among the celebs getting to play with the 100 best toys of all time. The list was compiled by famous toy shop Hamleys to celebrate its 265th anniversary. And the stars get to run wild in the famous London store after hours.
Also taking part are best friends Alison Hammond and Aidan. Plus comedians Lou Sanders and Harriet Kemsley.
Among the classic games they will be playing are Hungry Hippos and Operation. They will also get the chance to have a go creating things with Lego.
The show will also look back at classic television toy adverts from the 1970s and 1980s. It’s 90 minutes so it really is a deep dive into the world of toys!
Mammoth Christmas Special (BBC Two, 10pm)
Tony Mammoth (Mike Bubbins) is eager for his first Christmas since being frozen for nearly 25 years. However, things quickly go wrong for Tony, who’s suspended from his PE teacher job for inappropriate behaviour. It’s something of a Christmas miracle he’s lasted this long! So, he gets a job as a shopping centre Santa.
But his selfish ways threaten to leave his family without food at Christmas. Can Tony finally think of someone other than himself?
Meanwhile, love is in the air for Theo, while Mel (Sian Gibson) gets angry with a woman at the homeless shelter.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the Call the Midwife 2025 Christmas special
